‘The Blacklist’ Season 4 Spoilers: How Elizabeth Keen Could Return After Faking Her Death

The Blacklist Season 3 ended in a shocking cliffhanger in the process confirming my initial thoughts with regards to the role of Alexander Kirk (Ulrich Thomsen), Banshee, and the fate of Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) in the series.

It looked as though The Blacklist showrunners had opted to kill one of the series’ lead characters in Episode 17 of Season 3, but as it turned out, Elizabeth Keen still has a lot to offer, even if it may eventually mean changing identity.

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At the end of The Blacklist Season 3, Alexander Kirk claimed that he was Elizabeth Keen’s real father after tracking her to a hideout in Ecuador. This came out as a huge surprise, since a majority of the audience had already bought the idea of Raymond Reddington (James Spader) being her father.

So what are the facts so far? We know that Elizabeth Keen’s real name is Masha Rostova, the daughter of another mystery character in the show, Katerina Rostova. And now, Alexander Kirk appears to be an alias of Constantin Rostov, which clearly creates a relationship between him, Masha, and Katerina Rostova. As such, he could be Masha’s father in legal terms.

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However, Raymond Reddington also appears to have had a close relationship with Katerina Rostova during her days as a Russian spy in the U.S. This could also imply that Reddington is Masha’s biological father. Katerina probably told him so and that would explain why he has always been so close to Elizabeth Keen.

And judging by the nature in which Alexander Kirk revealed himself to be Elizabeth Keen’s father, it is highly likely that he too knew that Reddington was her biological father. Therefore, this means that Reddington and Alexander Kirk have crossed paths before, which sets The Blacklist for a dramatic fourth season.

However, with Elizabeth Keen now having been confirmed to be alive and well, The Blacklist fans are trying to get around the question of how she would manage to return to the show. The Blacklist relies very much on the relationship between Reddington and the FBI.

This means that unless Elizabeth Keen changes her role to a fugitive like we witnessed for a few episodes in Season 3 of The Blacklist, she will have to exist as a legal operative in the show. Now we know that Reddington got her charges for shooting a senator dropped by the soon to be the next U.S. president.

The Blacklist has shown in the past that even the gravest of crimes can be forgiven with the right arrangements in place, and we have also realized that Reddington is the best when it comes to making people do his bidding. As such, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Elizabeth Keen returns to the FBI at some point in Season 4 of The Blacklist. However, right from the beginning, the audience expects Reddington to go head to head with Alexander Kirk as he seeks to reclaim Elizabeth Keen from the Russian oligarch.

Another card that The Blacklist showrunners could play would be for Elizabeth Keen to change her legal name to Masha Rostova, which of course is her real name. This could happen especially if Elizabeth Keen chooses to side with Alexander Kirk as her father. In this case, she may also have to forego her U.S. citizenship, which means that she could end up leaving the FBI altogether.

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As such, the most realistic way that Elizabeth Keen could return to The Blacklist in Season 4 would be if she sides with Raymond Reddington, in which case, Red would have to do what he has always done make sure Elizabeth Keen is not prosecuted for faking her death.

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The Blacklist Season 4 could also experience a number of crossovers with its spinoff series The Blacklist: Redemption. Elizabeth Keen could appear in both The Blacklist and The Blacklist: Redemption when dealing with Tom Keen and Red while Alexander Kirk has unfinished business with both Susan Hargrave and Raymond Reddington.